Hijinks Inc.

Category: Review

  • Hijinks Reviews: Pocket Legends (Free Version)

    Publisher: Spacetime Studios, LLC
    Platform: iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
    Cost: Free [iTunes Link]
    Release date: April 02, 2010
    Version Reviewed: 1.2.1

    Quick background on me. I started playing EverQuest in 2001. I switched to World of Warcraft in 2004 and have a couple 80s laying dormant right now. I’ve also played Lord of the Rings Online enough to get a max level character, and Eve Online enough to get bored ( 20 minutes). Now that I’ve established myself as a MMO junkie (or whore, in Aaron’s terms), lets begin.

    Pocket Legends is a 3D MMORPG for the iPad. Its not menu driven like everything else that calls itself an MMO on the app store, it is an honest-to-goodness massively multiplayer online role playing game. Spacetime Studios is now the Lord British of the iPad and iPhone MMO platform. If we had review scores, that would be plus five, right there. I could wax eloquent about the possibilities the game opens up for hours, but I think it’ll be better for all involved if I shut up and review the game as it stands.

    Pocket Legends is not a open world per say. There’s a hub zone (the ‘Towne’) Where all the players on the server can go and socialize (read: spam the chat channel with trade chat). The vendors are in this central hub, as well as a bank where you can stash your spare gear.  The actual fighting takes place in instanced levels that are part of a larger campaign scenario. The free version comes stock with the Forest Haven campaign, in which you rescue three orbs that protect your village from evil (but can be stolen by evil people at any time evidently). The free version is also capped at level 13.  If you want more, you have to pay for it. (more…)

  • Android App Review: QuickDesk Beta

    My QuickDesk
    My QuickDesk

    Publisher: Faruq Rasid
    Platform: Android (All versions)
    Cost: Free! (Donations Encouraged)
    [AppBrain Link]
    Release Date: June 20, 2010
    Version Reviewed: 0.2

    As an Android user, I rely heavily on my home screens to launch and switch between applications.  While this works well, I’ve often wondered if there was a better way to move between applications.  One trick I use often is to hold down on the home button; this will bring up a list of the most recently used applications.  While this feature is nice, it is very limited.  Thanks to the creative mind of Faruq Rasid, there’s now a better way: enter QuickDesk.

    QuickDesk is not a home screen replacement, it’s an add-on that allows you to launch an app or even use a widget from within any application in Android.  It’s a semi-transparent screen that you can pull up from anywhere by simply double-tapping the home button or long pressing the search button.  On this screen, you can add app shortcuts, folders, and widgets in the 5×4 area.  It’s a great place to put settings widgets, direct call links, or anything you use frequently. (more…)

  • Hijinks Reviews: Small World for iPad

    Publisher: Days of Wonder, Inc
    Platform: iPad
    Cost: $4.99 (slated for a jump to $6.99) [iTunes Link]
    Release date: March 31st, 2010
    Version Reviewed: 0.99

    Philippe Keyaerts’ Small World has made quite the splash with the release of its iPad version, and with good reason. Small World is a near perfect example of the way table top gaming should be done on the iPad; crisp graphics, smooth gameplay, easy to follow instructions, and excellent replay value. Did I mention replay value? My partner in crime Fred and I sat down and played 5 matches back to back and still could’ve played more if it weren’t for having lives and responsibility in the real world. I suppose this infatuation could be the result of us being easily entertained… but that aside, I really do think it’s a great game.

    Prior to downloading the iPad version of Small World, I’d never heard of it, let alone that it was a board game, but now I’m hooked. And I think you will be too. Unless your hate strategy games, in which case, why are you reading this review?
    (more…)

  • Oh snap, an iPad review. Shocker.

    Yeah, I’m one of those guys… I had an iPad delivered to my door on day one. In my defense though, it was free, and it was for software development. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

    After a little over a week with the iPad, here are my thoughts on it.

    [ The Good ]
    Nice and solid construction. Heavier than expected, but still light enough to comfortably hold with one hand.

    Great battery life. Easily getting 10-11hrs on average, and that’s with a lot of NetFlix streaming. Though if you crank the brightness to max you will sacrifice an hour or two of battery life.

    Fantastic screen quality. Native apps look amazing on this screen, websites look better, movies look crisper. And with the added screen real estate (not to mention added processing power) app developers really have an opportunity to bridge the gap between mobile and desktop applications.

    Speaking of native apps, Mail is finally useful and once 4.0 hits this fall it’ll be even more so. Calendar is a major upgrade, and in my opinion outshines its desktop counterpart iCal.

    NetFlix streaming is awesome. The navigation could use some improving, but the video playback is solid. Even playback over 3G was tolerable (using my iPhone as a 3G hotspot, I did not get early access to a 3G iPad). Now all we need is for NetFlix to expand their instant streaming selection.

    [ The Bad ]
    Up-scaled iPhone apps. They just don’t cut it, some apps are usable, but most look darn right ugly. Not to mention that an apps control interface might work on the iPhone, but doesn’t fair so well up-scaled to the iPad. Then there’s the higher price point for iPad specific apps, which is a little annoying considering you just spent a minimum of $499 on the hardware.

    Remember that fantastic looking screen? Yeah… That’s only if you’re in doors. Sunlight is the death of this screen, fingerprints suddenly obscure ever inch of the screen, the glare is almost enough to blind you. Even using it in the car is risky, you constantly need to reposition the iPad to compensate for glare.

    Application availability. Yes, compared to other contenders, the iPad launched with a handsome 1,500 apps, but most developers didn’t have early access to an iPad for actual testing so some of the software was a little rough around the edges. Over the next few months this should be easily remedied.

    Did I mention app pricing? I have no real problem paying $15 for a quality app, but it would be nice if that at least included cross compatibility for both the iPhone and iPad. And this kind of pricing might be a deterrent to casual gamers.

    Wasted space on the lock screen. Seriously Apple, why can’t we rock some widgets on the lock screen at least? I was hoping to see this resolved with iPhone OS 4.0, but sadly no.

    [ The “Say-what?” ]
    People always find something to complain about, and it may or may not be relevant.

    No Flash. Who cares?! I don’t love Flash, I don’t hate it. But truth be told, in a mobile device I don’t miss it. Now if hell did freeze over and Apple allowed Adobe to bring Flash to the iPhone/iPad I wouldn’t mind, but I can easily live without it.

    No camera. Again, not really an issue. Unless you really want to rock the Chatroulette scene with your iPad. Besides, we all know Apple will include a camera in the second gen iPad.

    No multitasking. I do see this as a significant shortcoming. But come this fall it will be taken care of with the iPhone OS 4.0 release.


    [ The Bottom Line ]
    Good first generation product. But it’s not for everyone. For myself personally, I’m actually able to use the iPad for work. But the average user will likely find it more useful for casual gaming and web browsing (nothing wrong with that).

    I think for the iPad to gain more traction it needs to be priced a bit lower, that being said, I was very surprised that it was launched at $499, for an Apple product that really is a competitive price. And if you have $500 to burn, it could be well worth it.

    At this point, developers are the ones who will really make this platform work. So holding out for a 2nd gen iPad is a pretty solid idea since it will give developers more time to get comfortable with the platform and release more awesome/useful software.

  • HP TouchSmart Review

    I got my HP TouchSmart IQ507 Monday afternoon, and after playing around with it for the last couple days, I have to say it’s an awesome machine. Awesome enough to warrant a quick review!

    First thing you’ll want to do is open up the HP Touch Screen Controls and disable the Touch Screen Sound option under the Global Settings tab. Doing that will make your experience much more enjoyable.

    The 22″ screen looks amazing, it sports a healthy 1680×1050 resolution, great for checking your email, playing games or watching videos. As I see it, the main drawback is that it’s a glossy screen, which is crazy reflective, but a necessary evil in order to properly protect the screen.

    The touchscreen functionality isn’t quite ready for everyday Windows use out of the box, seeing as how a lot of things in Windows are a little small for accurately tapping with your finger (and since the screen isn’t actually touch sensitive and is merely using IR sensors to detect your finger creating a break in the IR field, it tends to be just a little off from where you want to click), so it can be quite frustrating. But I was able to make most basic tasks a little more bearable just by tweaking a few settings and adjusting to the screens minor misinterpretation of taps.

    Windows Media Center is fantastic on the TouchSmart, even though some of the icons are a bit small and there aren’t a lot of configuration options for such things I was able to navigate with minimum difficulty. The TouchSmart does include a remote for controlling the Media Center as well, so once the novelty of poking your computer screen wears off you can control things from the comfort of your couch.

    The included HP SmartCenter is more visually appealing than it is useful. Although it is by far the easiest program to navigate using the touchscreen, so HP did their job well in that respect. The best way I can describe the SmartCenter is to advise you to think of it as RocketDock meets your media library, meets a mediocre coverflow clone, meets Al Gore moonlighting as a professional hobo (this little gem is your reward for sticking it out and reading this article up until this point, yay for you!).
    Also, every time I started the SmartCenter it re-enabled that annoying beep that the TouchSmart plays each and every time you touch the screen. Maybe I’m just easily annoyed.

    I also took a few minutes to install a copy of Starcraft on the TouchSmart, and while the game doesn’t look at all visual stunning on a 22″ screen, it makes up for it with its very point-and-click oriented interface, making it a perfect candidate for a touchscreen computer. Simply put, playing Starcraft is awesome on the TouchSmart.

    While the on-screen keyboard is fun at first, your wrists will likely cramp up after only a few minutes of “typing”, the functionality of it is further limited since the screen isn’t exactly multi-touch and it tends to lose track of your keystrokes after the first few when you try typing faster than one letter at a time.

    In the more practical realm of data entry, the included bluetooth keyboard is a very nice slim form factor. It features minimal dedicated media hot keys, just mute and volume up/down controls, so the layout isn’t at all crowded. Don’t fret though, you’ll still be able to control your DVD or music from the couch even without your remote, since all the F keys have secondary functions assigned to them for media playback. My main compliant is that it’s ridiculously loud when typing.

    Speakers on the TouchSmart actually surprised me, they’ve got decent range and fantastic volume, sound is crisp even on the higher end of the volume scale. I’ve owned numerous TVs that have had worse speakers than this system.

    Anyhow, as I meantioned before I’m going to try and install OS X on it. I’ve partitioned the drive and am going to start out by trying the latest build of iDeneb. I’ll post an update in the next few days.